Acknowledgement from the Lightning Emperor

There are times when reality and fiction cross each other.

When? Why? How? These are the questions asked about this phenomenon.

Maybe because fiction is based on a part of reality.

Or perhaps because reality is already a part of fiction in the first place.

Unfortunately, nobody knows the real answer.

Besides, what differentiates reality from fiction?

All that we know is that we live within this reality.

However, can you prove that you are not something fictional?

We can say that there is something larger behind every event happening worldwide.

However, what that something is, is not clear.

Religion says it is God's will.

Science says that it is the law of cause and effect.

Some say that it happens for no reason.

Most say that everything happens for a reason, but that reason, too, is unknown.

In other words, I can rephrase it as this:

Our reality is a script, a story that follows a fixed path. The present we treat as reality is simply a fictional story made by someone behind the scenes. It is no different from a storybook.

Now, can you still say that you're not fictional?

- - -

Hello, again my dear readers!

Today, I am going to tell you all about my current adventures!

As you know! I have finally started playing the most famous game as of now!

(Drumroll) WEXO!!! (Claps)

And so, just like any other of my posts, I will give out pointers for the game!

Oh! By the way, my information is not only aimed towards beginners. Even regular players that want to become stronger faster can gain a large help from here!

Now! Everyone! Are you all ready?!

Let's start!

Pointer #1: Stats can be gained through 3 basic paths. One is through training. This is the most common and easiest stat increaser. Next is by leveling up. Yes, yes. And last! By defeating strong monsters!

Hahaha! Some may be thought that what I said is already common sense. Then did you know that the stat bonus when leveling up continuously increases through training and fighting? Hahaha! Bet you didn't!

Just be careful if you want to try this one out. If you died, not only all your experience will go down to zero, even the stat bonus will go down the drain.

Pointer #2: Being strong in-game is easier if you train yourselves IRL… Some of you thought that this is pointless no? Well… Let's just say that in WEXO, you are moving your body in a different sense. Those who made their characters way different from their physique will probably notice this easier.

If you know how to move properly IRL, then, you can apply this to your own character! Like how to run efficiently without using much energy, or walk silently through dry leaves. Hahaha!

Pointer #3: Logging in for a long time is fine. Just don't forget about your real body. It would be meaningless to make your character way way waaaaaayy stronger to the point that your real body gets riddled with diseases. Watch your health!

Well then, this should be enough for now. See you guys, like, next week?

Always remember, Games are made to relieve stress, not to gain stress!

- - -

This time, many noticed the event in an instant.

The event marked the emergence of a new branch of entertainment.

Some players, companies, groups, and circles were hoping for this for a long time. And finally, their wish came true.

It all started after Zeus and the rest of the gang went to the Magic council to give a piece of an ancient artifact.

At first, they thought that it was just a normal artifact. However, they didn't anticipate that this object came together with a large patch to the system.

"So… Possessing this crystal and activating it will allow a person to record everything they saw or hear inside the DREAMHARD's hard drive."

Yes. The said item, Magic Imbued Spirit Crystal, is an item that allows capturing a scene from the player's point of view.

After hearing the explanation that they received and reinterpreting it in their own words, Zeus retrieved the piece that he gave to the council member.

"Then…"

Negotiation!

This item will most probably be sought after by television stations. And without a doubt, many players will buy this.

Noticing this, Zeus couldn't let the chance get by.

"I want to donate this piece to the Magic Council. I also request to own the rights for reproducing this."

Taxation! The most basic way of earning money.

"Since it was you, adventurer, who found this in the first place, we have no say in the matter."

"Is that so… Then, I demand 50% of the sales from this."

Hearing his thick-faced claim, the clerk's smile twitched a little.

"… S-Sorry but, if you get 50% of the sales, the selling price would skyrocket just to balance the expenses."

"That may be right… then, 20% with an additional 1% of the sales of your store on the 4th floor."

"Adventurer. We, the council, are not doing this out of goodwill… 5%, that is what we can offer."

"Then 15%... How's that?"

"… 7.5%, that's the best we can give…"

"Then, to settle it, let's set it at 10%. That way, you can maintain the loss to the minimum and still maintain the price at friendly levels right?"

"… 9%, that's the highest. If you still don't want to, then you may find other places for the transaction."

"Then deal! 8% with the addition of Ciello's Golden Bracelet!"

"… Thank you for your cooperation."

One technique in negotiation. Present an absurd starting condition and compromise with a "seemingly" much better condition that is slightly lower than their tolerable limit!

'Didn't think I could get this much.' Zeus laughed in his heart.

His thought was running that he will at least get a 2% share. Getting 4 times what he assumed was way above his estimates.

I can finally live in luxury!

Even if the share was only 1%, if each of the players bought one, he will be an instant billionaire. One thing is, it is a one-off. In other words, a character will only need one. Once all of the characters bought it, and no more newbies come, this source of income will end.

'Even with that limitation, when that time comes, I think I wouldn't have money problems anymore.' He further considered.

And so, after concluding their negotiations, Zeus left the council and walked around town, disposing of all his loot.

In less than an hour, a bulletin was made together with the start of the sale of the Spirit Crystal. In more or less 30 minutes after that (in-game), the information had spread all around the world (IRL).

Zeus, Faye, and Marielle immediately became celebrities.

However, almost nobody knows their exact appearance. Still, their names were now a hot topic on many online boards.

- - -

Just before noon, Joshua was standing in front of his kitchen, cooking food for himself.

He himself was a competent cook. However, if compared to Minami's skills, he still has a long way to go.

Minami left for an errand so he doesn't have a chef to prepare food for him. While cooking, Joshua was reading an online blog.

The said blog is what one would call a secret blog. Hidden from search engines and search bots, only those who received the website personally can visit the said page.

To those who managed to get into the site, a set of rules was given. Without following the rules to the letter, they will be banned from entering (By blocking him first before changing the website's address).

Joshua received the site after a local game competition. It was written inside a letter that was passed to him, which he thought was a part of the prize. Curiously, he checked the site and since then, he became a regular.

The site boasts over 200 active bloggers that tackle myriads of topics weekly or daily. More than half of them focuses on games though.

Of the thousands of game threads posted every day, about 60% are all about WEXO. And surprisingly, this site is Joshua's main source of information. This is where he got many tips and tricks in leveling, increasing the stats and many other aspects.

Of the hundreds of bloggers, Joshua only follows 2 names regularly.

One is the cheerful and smart blogger, Meerkat. His/her posts always gain 90% positive comments. That is probably due to his/her information being extremely vital in giving great help to those who are just starting off.

The other one is, unlike Meerkat who updates his/her blogs once a week, a daily blogger. Her blogs were often like in a diary style. In a manner as if she was speaking to herself. Yes, it is a "she".

Unlike Meerkat whose gender is unknown, Daisy is widely known as one of the few female gamers/bloggers which is partly the reason why she is famous. Inside the site that is.

Well, having few female gamers is a time of the past though. That is before WEXO was created. But now, the Female to Male gamer ratio is quite high.

Daisy's style of blog is a mix of humor and sarcasm. Sometimes serious and sometimes light. She shows many varieties of emotions in her blogs. Reading them will never be boring even when she talks about something dark. That's why she is one of Joshua's favorite bloggers.

As Joshua finished cooking, he sat down and silently started eating. He was simultaneously eating and reading. The post he is currently reading is the latest blog that Daisy posted.

In summary, it was about her travel from Raven Castle to the Miharu Forest. How she encountered different kinds of monsters, how she determined their weak points and even the map of the forest that she herself drew was included in her blog.

Daisy is one of the few solo players inside WEXO. The respect that she gets from the other players that know the difficulty of hunting alone cannot be expressed in words alone.

Many beginners wanted to become like her and tried hunting solo, only to end up dead in no time.

Those who play solo are only the ones with extremely high confidence in their strength, those with an extremely wide variety of knowledge, or just an idiot. Daisy was a mix of the first two categories.

Once, someone asked her what level her character currently is at. Her answer was that her stats were almost reaching the 10,000 range. Some didn't believe her words, some hesitated, and some trusted her words unconditionally.

Joshua was never the trusting type. However, when it comes to Daisy's blogs, he always cross-references the methods himself before doubting or believing. But after knowing that all the methods daisy posted were real, he was now trusting her words unconditionally.

"Miharu Forest…"

Joshua muttered silently as he stared blankly.

Miharu forest is one of the high-level forests around the border of the current human territory. The level of monsters there ranges from 200 to 300. Hunting there solo is really something to be amazed by.

Since she was not listed as the top-level player in the game, then that means her level is still around the early 100s or lower.

"… I can still catch up to her. I just need to spend more time in-game."

He then finished his meal, washed the dishes, and went straight towards another world.

- - -

Zeus was walking down the main road.

Many players were turning their heads as he passed. Their gazes were fixed on the item on his left wrist.

Ciello's Golden Bracelet!

The magical bracelet gives off a faint golden glow that gives it an air of elegance. Zeus even changed to his best equipment before setting off. Boasting around and earning the jealousy of other players always gives a sense of pride and accomplishment to him.

Despite wanting to boast around, he was not walking aimlessly. He was currently headed to the business district.

"Now that I have this, I need to have a place to store my items."

Ciello's Golden Bracelet has the ability to instantly access the user's items that are stored in a designated area. In other words, if he doesn't have a designated place where he can store his items, the bracelet is useless.

The first idea that came to mind was using an item bank. However, he immediately cut off that line of thought.

"Item banks charge money for each stored item. It is not efficient to use as a storage."

Many other ideas were flowing through his head. However, most of them didn't fulfill his main conditions. The shops that he checked were either overpriced or very inefficient.

His conditions are quite simple though: (1) It should be cheap, free is better. (2) It should have good security. And (3) he must be able to store massive amounts of items. A large storage room!

Then, while walking, a flyer caught his eye.

"What is this?"

It was some sort of advertisement.

"… A contest? No. A request?"

The contents were quite detailed. It was speaking of a large villa in the south of the castle. Approximately a kilometer away from the walls. It was stated that the owner would like to sell the house at a bargain price.

"… 10 Million Darks for a villa in the middle of a wide plain… Perfect!"

A villa surely will have a large storage room. If not, it must have a basement or two. The problem was security. Since it is located in the middle of a wide plain, there is no problem with visibility. The problem with monsters can be solved with a barrier or by constructing walls. For burglars, he can handle it himself.

He was all prepared and ready to head to the said villa. However, he remembered that he had to upgrade his skills and his sword.

"… The training field is nearer… Better head there first."

And so, he started walking towards the training field. He felt like he wasted time for nothing though.

After wandering for over an hour and then walking for half an hour, he finally reached the training grounds.

As the man at the counter saw him, his eyes immediately became sharp.

"You want to upgrade your skills?"

"Yes."

The muscular receptionist nodded his head in understanding.

"… You are much stronger compared to when you came here first about a week ago. I even heard your name here and there and rumors about you started floating around. You seem to be working really hard. I applaud your dedication."

"I was just doing what I could and what I must."

Modesty first is the top rule for gaining friendships with higher-ranking NPCs. Inside his head, he actually wanted to boast about his accomplishments but if he did that, it will surely backfire.

"Take this."

He was then passed a wooden sword.

"I'll test your abilities."

A mock battle! He was expecting to receive a reward, not a punishment!

"Ugh! My rotten luck!!!"

However, he could not refuse. He must upgrade his skills so that means he must pass this test.

The two of them walked to the center of the courtyard. Many trainees and players were looking at the two. Then, after they stood 10 meters away from each other, the man suddenly spoke.

"The rules are simple. Hit me at least once within 5 minutes time. You fail if you were rendered unable to continue or failed to do the said requirement. Is that clear?"

"Y-Yes."

"Your voice is wavering now. Don't worry, I won't get serious against a weakling like you."

Then, the man drew his sword. An iron sword.

"W-W-W-Wait! Why would you use an iron sword while mine's a wooden sword?!"

"You want to upgrade your skills right? Then, pass this test."

The man said with a grin. Now, Zeus finally got what he meant. This test was meant to assess his evasion skill. If he passes, then he could upgrade his evasion skill without much problem.

"… Sigh… If that's the case then sorry but I won't hold back sir."

Zeus then switched his hold into a two-handed one and lowered his center of gravity. His sword was aligned straight toward the enemy at his shoulder's height.

"Haha. That's the spirit. Now come whenever you're ready."

Just as the man finished his words, Zeus dashed to the top of his speed. He was starting to blur due to his speed. The bystanders started cheering.

"Haaah!"

For starters, Zeus tried a diagonal slash from the right. The man easily evaded it. Zeus immediately fixed the trajectory and continued with a downward slash. The man then sidestepped and slashed at the same time.

"Guh!!"

Zeus twisted his body to the limit. He avoided the sword with a hair's breadth. However, his balance crumbled.

The man's horizontal strike was suddenly followed by a downward diagonal strike. Zeus can't dodge! However, he can't give up. He then used his distorted balance to spin around and smash the wooden sword to the side of the iron sword, causing it to slip off its trajectory.

Zeus then immediately jumped away and tried to catch his breath.

"You're quite promising. Nobody has ever evaded my attacks before."

"And the way you distorted my balance is quite good. It caught me off guard sir."

The crowd's cheer became louder. The exchange didn't even last 5 seconds and the crowd is already setting bets. Even NPCs were betting.

"Then, it's time to end this."

Zeus changed his hold into a one-handed stance. His center of gravity wasn't as low as it was before.

"Here I come!"

Then, as he announced, he charged toward the man. But nobody clearly saw what happened. All they saw was that Zeus was suddenly in front of the man. Even the man himself was quite surprised.

"So that was not your top speed!!!"

However, the man was still able to evade the sudden attack. A savage smile crept to his face as they continued slashing and evading.

"Hahahaha! DIE!"

"Where did the [I wouldn't get serious] part go?!"

As time passed, the man started including punches and kicks with his swings and slashes. Zeus was pressed more and more. On the other hand, the crowd started to get even livelier.

4 minutes passed and neither of the two managed to land a clean hit yet. Their clothes have tears here and there but a scratch or wound was still unseen. The time limit is nearing.

"There's no choice…"

Zeus once again switched his hold. This time, a single-handed hold, but with his left hand. He rested the sword diagonally to his rear left. He positioned his right arm in front of his body. Then, he lowered his center of gravity once more. As if he was hiding the sword behind his shadow.

All these were done in one smooth motion. Then, he started moving. He was neither fast nor slow. However, everyone saw the same phenomenon.

"… Mirage."

The instructor that started watching from who knows when commented offhandedly. Yes. Currently, many afterimages were being formed despite not much speed being used. This is one of the bona fide skills that Zeus knew from the real world.

The man just stood in front of him stunned.

In the man's eyes, there are over a hundred afterimages formed. But for those watching from the sidelines, all they could see were 2 to 3 afterimages.

Then, a sword struck the man's head gently. The strike came from behind him. The man came to his senses and realized the situation.

"Ahahahah! Didn't expect you would succeed there brat. What's that sword technique just now?"

"Ahhh… That was Shadow Walk… Rather than a sword technique, it was more of a sleight of hand."

Zeus commented offhandedly while lying down.

"It is done by letting your enemy focus on your sword while walking towards him with varying speed. In my case, each step I took had over 5 variations in speed. And each of the speed variations is matched with 5 different positions of the sword."

"So my focus in the battle became the reason for my loss. You got me there. As promised, you can now level up your skills."

"Well thanks…"

Then, the crowd that turned silent suddenly burst with loud cheers. Zeus was too tired to even care.

The skill he used just now easily builds mental fatigue so it can't be used continuously in actual battle. Focusing on the enemy's sight, redirecting his sight, varying the walking speed, and concentrating at the same time really tore down his nerves.

"Come to the counter after you rest."

After the man walked away, a confirmation window appeared.

- - -

- Hidden Side Quest "The Lightning Emperor's Test" has been completed.

- Due to your great Achievement Fame increased by 500. Honor increased by 10.

- The skill "Quick Draw" was changed into "Lightning Draw".

- Skills Evasion and Warrior's Heart can now be upgraded to a 4* skill.

- - -

"… Lightning…. Emperor?"

In Zeus's memory, Lightning Emperor is actually one of the 12 masters. The master of the unseen sword, the Lightning Emperor Thor. However, nobody had actually seen his face. They don't even know where he is.

"I… Actually fought someone really big…?"

And he actually pulled off a successful attack against a legend.

"I even ended up giving a lesson to him... isn't that a bit rude for him?"

As he was still lying down on the ground, the crowds started dispersing. Then, a sound of footsteps started nearing him.

"Yo. Didn't think you would actually win there."

It was Hel. He/She was carrying Sphynx.

"I got this from the guild. It is an item that fully recovers mana that is lost. Try using it, please. With that appearance, I don't really know whether to treat you as a boy or a girl."

Zeus spoke and then threw a small orb to Hel.

"Hmmm? So they have these sorts of items now… Amazing."

"… How old are you to not know about this…"

"Asking a lady of her age is rude you know. Wanna die?"

"… I will soon reach the max spam stat so I'll gladly decline your offer."

"Good decision… However, I cannot change my appearance as of now. If I do, Cerberus will just come running here. But since you went to the trouble of obtaining this for me, I'll gladly use it."

Hel then placed the orb atop her right hand. Then, the orb started to float. Not long after, it released a faint blue light. Then, in less than 5 seconds, it cracked.

"Ohhh! My mana was fully recovered! That item was quite convenient! Can you get stock of at least 8 of that––"

"THAT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN!"

Zeus wanted to cry internally. The orb that he let Hel use was actually worth 10 Million Darks. He bought it at half price on the off chance that Hel will support them in their battles.

"Ahahaha! Then as requested, I'll change my appearance."

Hel then spun around causing her long robe to flutter in the wind.

After that, she turned to face Zeus again.

"There. Is this fine to your standards?"

She now looks like a girl of about 9 to 10 years of age. The robe was still of a perfect fit.

"… Well… I guess…"

Now, Zeus wouldn't be bothered speaking with a girl with a boy's appearance. However, he was still being bugged by something so he asked Hel.

"Is that appearance one of the villagers' too? Or is it actually your image when you were young?"

Her appearance would be under the beautiful category at present. Despite the young age of her appearance, signs of elegance and beauty were still clearly visible. It was to the point that imagining her figure as an adult isn't that difficult.

Her aquamarine-colored eyes were exuding an aura of Honor and Wisdom. Her long violet hair was draped over her shoulders giving her a boost in her female charms. Her hands and legs that are peeking from her clothes are of pristine white. She looks like a fragile masterpiece. This was what made Zeus doubt.

"Hmmm? This is my appearance X years ago."

"C-Can you make your appearance at least 5 years older?!"

"… Brat. This is the current limit. Cerberus knows my appearance since I was 12 years of age. So to not let him notice, this age is the limit."

"O-One last question!"

Zeus stood up and faced Hel. Hel sighed and then urged him to continue.

"I-Is that transformation magic or illusion magic?"

"… I guess it is under transformation and morphing."

"I'LL QUICKLY GET STRONGER AND REACH WHERE CERBERUS IS!!!"

And renewing his resolve, he went to the counter together with Hel and Gerald. What was running inside his mind right now? Who knows?